Happy Birthday Anna
by Kouta Aburame
Summary: Anna has finally achieved her otaku dream of visiting Japan, but will her frequent anxiety attacks get her an early ticket back to the states? Or will Shuusuke find a way to keep her fears in check?
1. Anna

A slight jostling quickly followed the chiming of the bells as the electronic disabling sign flipped on for the final decent. A simple nudge from the adjacent seat stirred the groggy pre-teen from her dead sleep and prompted her to put on her seat belt immediately. It was still early in the morning, the sun was just peaking over the peaked horizon, but the marveled girl became focused on the gleaming beacon shining brightly just below.

She could hardly believe she was finally in Japan!

It had taken months of planning to organize this event. She had to bear many shifts from both her part-time jobs, endure many sleepless nights of study, and leave a mountain of chores she knew would come back to haunt her. But seeing the bustling lights decorating the twilight city made all her frustrating endeavors worthwhile.

She felt her ears pop from a change in pressure and the tires made the familiar squeak across the asphalt runway. The sudden deceleration of the plane shocked many of the new passengers and most certainly snapped the greenhorn teen back into complete alert. It seemed to take forever before the plane finally snaked back into the loading dock and come to a complete stop. The request to vacate the plane came soon after, and Anna was more than happy to get out of coach.

She quickly got out of the plane and stretched her stiff and aching limbs. Her back was especially painful after her long nap; these airports really needed a women's touch. She'd probably been more comfortable sleeping on a table. She was surprised she managed to get to sleep at all, even with that stiff headrest she bought for almost five-trillion dollars! Maybe she'd come to the airport a little early on the return trip to give the management a piece of her mind.

She pulled a hairbrush out of the tangled mess of her carry-on and attacked the blond mangled knot that was her hair. Despite the atrociously early hour, the area was bustling with people. The majority of them looked like important businessmen in their wrinkle free suits, carrying there briefcases as they made their way to baggage claim. She felt out of place in her ruffled t-shirt and denim jeans and she only hoped Shuusuke was somewhere in this massive enclave.

"Anna-chan, Anna-chan," came the calm, almost feminine shout from the crowd. The boy was holding up a large sign with her name written in katakana in addition to a few simple kanji she could easily interpret as "welcome to Japan". He looked as calm as she pictured him to be, wearing a long sleeve jacket coupled with green jogger pants.

Anna made her way through the torrential cesspool of people and tugged on the boy's puffy sleeve: "Excuse me, are you Shuusuke-san?" She asked.

"Yeah, you must be Anna then, it's nice to finally meet you."

"Same here," came Anna's nervous reply. Shuusuke was much taller than she had pictured him to be, and having to look up at him was a little more than daunting.

"Would you like to get something to eat? I hear the food here is really good."

"_From who?_" Anna thought, losing here appetite. She still remembered eating the stale crackers and overly salted peanuts on the plane. Coupled with the cruddy in-flight meal, she thought she was going to blow chunks in the toilet.

"I think I'll pass," She said, trying to suppress a shot of bile.

"Oh that's too bad," Shuusuke said, hardly stunted by the refusal.

"Oh I almost forgot," He said, reaching into his shouldered backpack. He withdrew a box the size of his hand, covered with postal paper, and topped with the biggest bow she had ever seen, "Happy Birthday Anna."

The present slid out of his hand so fast, he resisted the urge to check it for burns. Anna greedily ripped apart the wrapping, making sure to keep at least the bow protected and found the latest addition of "Perfect Girl Evolution" still in its plastic wrapping. Shuusuke nearly fell from the resulting tackle and hug.

"I thought you might like that," He replied, brushing the wrinkles from his sweater, "It's something that caught my eye recently."

"No way," came Anna's startled reply, "You read shojo comics?"

"Of course, those are my favorite actually….

"Is something wrong? You seemed a little, surprised."

"Oh no, its nothing." She knew Shuusuke was a little…feminine, but he seemed more so as time rolled by. Was it possible that he was… gay?! No, that's just here overactive imagination talking, so why wouldn't it shut up?

"Well, lets get out of here," Shuusuke said, "There's a lot more to Tokyo than the airport you know."

"Uh, right," Anna stuttered, shaking away her tainted thoughts, "lead the way."

After a long wait at the baggage claim, Shuusuke brought her to an underground parking lot, where his sister Yumiko and his little brother Yuuta were waiting. While Shuusuke strolled blissfully, Anna maintained a death grip on his arm, her nerves on edge. It was so dark, and there were large puddles of dripping water all over the place. There was even a large graffiti sign against one of the stone walls, which she thought likely meant "stupid foreigners."

"Hey Fuji?" She asked nervously, her voice slightly quivering, "How far away is your sister? This place is creeping me out."

He turned his head to look down at her, his eyes still closed as usual: "Is something wrong? I think it's actually quite cool down here."

She saw a rat out of the corner of her eye, and squeezed tight enough to cut the circulation from Shuusuke's arm.

"_That's it_," she screamed in her head, "_Shuusuke is crazy!"_

"Besides, if anything does happen, I'm sure you could handle yourself in a fight."

"What do you mean?" She asked curiously.

He took one of Anna's arms into his free hand. "These muscles are so firm; you must train a lot to maintain them."

She tugged the arm away and bashfully stroked the back of her head, "Actually, I've never been to the gym a day in my life."

"Really?" Fuji replied, "That's a shame; I was hoping you could teach me a few pointers."

Anna was flattered, but knew Shuusuke hardly needed "pointers" when it came to fitness. He had told her the previous year that his school tennis team Seigaku defeated the reigning champions Rikkaidai in the finals, and became the national champions of Japanese middle school tennis.

"I can still come tomorrow if you want," She stated meekly. She didn't know much about tennis, but she wanted to be polite.

"Sure, it's a date."

Anna felt like sputtering a retort, but heard someone honk their horn. She turned around to see a Mitsubishi Outlander with a fairly young woman waving from the driver's side. She was so relieved she'd finally be out of this ghetto parking lot; she practically sprinted to the car. Shuusuke just smiled and followed casually behind.

The car ride was long and uneventful, and Anna fell asleep about five minutes into it. After about an hour though, the Mitsubishi finally pulled up, and after a few vigorous shakes, Shuusuke managed to wake her.

For a tennis prodigy, the house was much plainer than Anna had anticipated. It was a lot like her house back in America, a simple two story building, painted solid blue and furnished with two or three windows. It felt like one of those houses you could order in a catalogue.

"Thanks for the ride Yumiko," Anna said, pulling yet another suitcase from the trunk. She felt nervous about calling her by her first name, but she didn't know how else to address her specifically.

Yumiko didn't seem to mind, "It's no problem," She replied with a smile, "I've always wanted to see Shuusuke's pen pal in person."

"Thanks," Anna said grudgingly, she made her sound like some sort of missing toy or something.

"Now let's hurry up and get you inside. Yuuta, would you mind helping our friend with her bags?"

"Yeah, I do mind," Yuuta replied curtly, crossing his arms into a pout. Shuusuke always said his brother was a hard worker, but who knew he was so uptight and sour.

"_He could stand to learn some manners,_"

Yuuta turned abruptly away from the group and continued his pouting parade for a few moments before reluctantly agreeing to carry **one** bag in. Anna strapped the backpack on, and Shuusuke grabbed what was left and followed in behind them.

Whatever finesse Fuji's house was missing on the outside, it was more than compensated for in the interior. The step-up from the door, along with the floors and walls were polished and clean of dust and streaks. There was a fine carpet resting symmetrically in the center, as well as some family portraits and a polished oak desk. She felt like she was stepping into some luxurious palace. Talk about not judging from outer appearances.

"I'm intruding now," She quickly blurted out. It was traditional thing to say whenever entering a person's house, but she had already strolled halfway across the hall before she caught herself.

Shuusuke followed soon after and placed the bags against the wall: "Make yourself at home," he said, removing his outdoor shoes, "The guest room is on the second floor, first door on the right."

"Thanks," she said gleefully.

"One more thing?"

"Yes?"

"Don't forget to take off your shoes."

Anna felt like she could just die she was so embarrassed. She was so nervous, that when she finally did get the shoes off her feet, she practically threw them against the wall before bolting up the stairs with all her bags.

"She such a sweet girl," Yumiko said, coming through the door.

"Yeah, she is," Shuusuke replied, "I'm going to finish making dinner. Is the dessert ready?"

"Made to perfection, just like you asked," Yumiko boasted. Making cakes were her specialty, and this was probably her best yet.

"Thanks, you've been a big help," Shuusuke replied, "Do you mind getting Anna when dinner's ready?"

"No, not at all."

Anna pushed into her new room, and threw all her bags into the corner as she plopped on the comfy roll out bed next to the opposing window. The room had a few posters of random animes and even a few pop-stars like Two-mix and Home Made Kazoku. The rest of the room was fairly plain, with only a small desk for work, but she would easily fill the space with all the stuff she brought with her.

That was not the forefront of her thoughts. That embarrassing scene with Shuusuke indeed made her a little flustered, and she intended to just pace around a bit to relieve some of the pent-up energy. Now that nervous, fretful energy came in explosive waves, and she felt it writing inside her, pushing and looking for a way out. Her knuckles turned white, every muscle in her body flexed uncontrollably and her brain screamed at her to move.

This was bad, the tips of her pinkies were already completely numb, and it was quickly spreading to the rest of the fingers. She started rifling through her bags, clothes and books all slamming violently against the opposing walls. Her search soon became desperate, she needed her medication, and already her hands were completely numb. The dark pit of her now emptied bag only served to increase her anxiety, and now the tingling pricks were crawling up her forearms and even across her toes. It felt like her entire body was falling asleep.

A shout came from downstairs: "Anna? Are you alright? Anna!"

She couldn't hear it over the palpitating of her pounding heart. Her breaths now came in panting squeaks and the numbness was creeping up her neck and tingled her cheeks. The air! When did it get so darn thick?! She couldn't breathe!

"Fuji… help," She screamed, but the desperate shout only came out as a pathetic whimper. Soon, she felt light headed, her eyes closed and she fell deep into sleep.

"Yumiko, did you hear that?" Fuji barked, throwing her door out wide.

"What going on Shuusuke?" She asked with worry. He wasn't usually so rude as to barge into her room.

"I heard something upstairs; I think something might've happened to Anna!"

Yumiko hadn't heard anything in particular, but it was rare to see Fuji so emotional: "I'll be right there," she said urgently, "just let me-"

But Shuusuke was already barreling up the stairs before she could finish her sentence. He turned the corner and slammed the door open to Anna's room. Yumiko followed soon after and what they saw shocked the both of them.

It looked like a tornado had blown through as blankets, bags, and clothes were scattered violently and randomly across the walls and floor. Even the mattress had been tipped violently over and the lamp on the desk had fallen and smashed to pieces. The two of them would've thought a burglar had broken in, if Anna wasn't standing there.

The two of them heaved a sigh of relief, though they were still shocked with the state of the room. Shuusuke tip-toed over a few pieces of shattered glass: "What happened here Anna?" Shuusuke asked. She didn't respond, didn't even turn her head to face him.

Shuusuke grabbed her shoulder: "Anna, did you have another attack? Tell me what's going on; we can work it out together."

This time, she did respond, by slapping Shuusuke's hand away. Yumiko was about to scold her for her rude behavior, when the girl turned to face the two. She had the same general shape as Anna, but her body was much more toned and her breasts had grown noticeably larger. The normally innocent eyes were sharper and a permanent frown had replaced her smiling face.

"Your Shuusuke Fuji right?" She asked, her tone slightly lower than Anna's.

Fuji furled his brow and the girl grinned, knowing she had found the one she was looking for.

"Meet me at the local tennis courts in three minutes. If not, then Anna goes back to the states with me."

"Who are you?" Shuusuke asked, fully convinced that the person standing before him wasn't Anna.

"Let me think," She pondered, "You can call me 'Kat' for the time being. Bring your best game with you Shuusuke; I will not tolerate anything less of you." She walked casually out of the room, grabbing one of the tote bags on the way out. Neither Shuusuke nor Yumiko made a move against her,

"What have you done to Anna?!"

"She just sleeping is all; you'll see her again if you can defeat me. And remember, if you call the police, I'll make sure you never see Anna again." She quietly walked down the stairs and out the door.

"This is bad," Yumiko said, "I don't care what she says, we need to call the police."

"Get my equipment," Shuusuke said calmly.

"Shuusuke," Yumiko replied astounded, "Surly you're not going to go through with her demands! "

"I won't lose." Shuusuke replied sternly, "and I'll bring back Anna for sure."

* * *

Authors Note: And that's the end of the chapter, with this done, I'll get back to work on the the next book of "The Passage of Time" so fans of the series, look out for the first chapter some point next week.

There's also another story I'm writing on called "Dark Star". I'm hoping to get it published one day, so I'm looking for as many comments on it as possible. I want it to be the best it can be, and I can only do it with the help of the readers so if you can, please R&R, I would greatly appreciate it.


	2. Chapter 2

The Queen of Tennis

Chapter 2: Kat

The floodlights were just flickering to life as Fuji jogged from the house. The chirping of crickets matched rhythmically with the gentle, frigid gusts of headwind, and the splashing of puddle water was heard in the distance as cars rushed on the main street just ahead. The complex assortment of noises blended together into a rhythmic tune of Shuusuke's adept ears, and he soon found himself stepping in rhythm with the urban music.

The tote bag, containing his rackets and equipment, was fastened neatly by the double-laced shoulder strap. He zipped up his red blazer most of the way in such a way so the ovals loop in his undershirt could be seen through the outward V. A black stripe followed along the legs of his red sweatpants to the black shoes he had bought for the upcoming semester. He had mixed feelings about wearing the colors of a different school; after all, he had good memories of Seigaku, but he knew it was time to move on.

He took a right at the next intersection and continued forward, but had to wait at the next crossing for passing traffic. The courts were just a couple blocks away now, but Shuusuke was hesitant to meet this Kat again. There was something almost inhuman about her composure and emotion, yet Fuji sensed the bubbling chaos that lay just beneath the surface of her stoic blue eyes. It felt like talking with a policeman who directed traffic from a twisted wreck. Everything about those sharp features reminded him of his previous captain Tezuka. Shuusuke swallowed nervously at the thought.

The light turned red, and Shuusuke paced across the street, continuing on for a few blocks before turning left. His body was slowly revving up now, and he twisted in a few circles, flexing his arms and fingers to get the blood flowing. Kat was holding Anna hostage so time was of the essence, but Fuji understood that haste was his enemy. Rash actions could cost him this battle, for he understood it was indeed a battle.

The tennis courts were just at the top of a few stairs now. Ivy had grown from the surrounding trees and had slowly wormed its way into the hardened concrete, and the grass, while normally maintained, was slightly unruly. The ancient feel of these stairs is partially what allowed Shuusuke to relax here and play his best. Thinking back to what Kat had said, he wondered if she had expected such from him.

Two people were descending the stairs then, each gabbing to each other with their packs across their backs. The one on the left was a girl with a blonde ponytail, wearing a white top with green shorts while her friend let her blue hair flow freely behind her cross court dress.

The blonde was staring into a cosmetic mirror, messing with her hair, "Did you like see that little shorty back there?" The two of them were speaking in English, which he could make out for the most part.

"Yeah really, what crawled up her butt and died?"

"That girl like, needs to like, get like a new bra or something you know?"

"I agree," The two were almost down the steps now, "letting it all hang out like that. Does she have any decency?"

"Excuse me," Shuusuke chided, "can you tell me where that girl went?"

The blonde shifted irritably from foot to foot, clearly in a hurry to get somewhere. "Is like that girl like with you or something?"

Shuusuke messed with the strap on his shoulder, still slightly irritable himself, "Yeah, she went ahead to find us a court. Do you know where she went?"

"So are you like her like boyfriend or something?"

"You could say that."

The two girls looked surprised, "She reserved the A court I believe. When you see her," The blue haired one said, "tell her she needs to work on her manners. I thought she was going to punch someone for a while there."

"I'll keep that in mind," Shuusuke said nervously, "What are your names by the way?"

"Me? I'm Cindy." The blonde said, pointing to her chest.

"I'm Kuina."

"I'm Fuji, I come here often if you girls ever want to play a match."

The girls didn't know whether to be flattered or nervous, so a mix came as the two hurried away. Shuusuke smiled and headed up the stairs, the wind now brushing against his back.

The courts themselves were identical to the others scattered across town, but Shuusuke still enjoyed the backdrop the trees made. He made his way to the lower-left court, where he saw Kat standing in the opponent's side, stretching to touch her toes. She had changed into a pair of green gym shorts with white side stripes with a similar colored tank top with a deep V-neck.

"You're late," Kat said. She moved to stretch her arms above her head, showing off her large chest. It was clear she was not wearing a sports bra.

Shuusuke blushed slightly, but Kat didn't seem to notice: "Where's Anna? I won't play until I know she's safe."

Kat continued to stretch her arms behind her back. "She is close, that is all you need to know."

Shuusuke reached for his cell phone, but Kat stopped him with her hand: "Use that tiny brain of yours for a moment and think. What would I have to gain by killing her? Did you even consider the consequences that would bring? No, I don't think you did." Her brows furled even closer together. "This will be a one set match. If by some fluke you manage to defeat me, I will return the girl to you unharmed. However, should you lose, I will make certain you never see her in this country again. Are we clear?"

She seemed to treat this whole situation like a game, a woman with nothing to lose. She knew he could've easily called the police, yet she set this stage for the two of them. Did she not care if he called the police? Or did she know he wouldn't? Her face remained expressionless, tilting in neither direction.

"We are," Fuji replied, setting his pack down. He withdrew his gold stringed racket and a canister of fresh balls, "One set match, my serve first."

"I can live with that." She picked up her racquet, gold with red details sporting white strings. The image of a wing was spray painted gold on the face.

The wind began to stir up again, brushing Fuji's back.

"_I will end this," _Shuusuke thought, "_before the wind dies down."_

Fuji tossed the first ball overhead, letting the soft wind tickle the felt surface, a blessing of sorts to good spirits. It slowed, then stopped at its peak and before it could fall any lower, the racquet sent it flying with a thunderous clap.

The match had begun.

"So the first trimester is in another week?" It was a weak conversation starter, but Tomo just couldn't start a conversation today. She found just being around Sonoko irritating; she felt the urge to ruffle her scalp. Sonoko um'd, and nodded, the best response she could get out of her all afternoon.

Ever since Ryoma moved back to the states, Sonoko slowly disconnected from everyday life. She began to miss arranged dates for movies or concerts and soon, she stopped arranging events herself. Her friends lost touch with her one-by-one, and now just before the start of the new trimester, Tomo was the only one who visited, and even then they stayed in her room for most of the time.

"Tomo, I know it's polite, but you can carry something at least."

"Oh shut it Horio." She spat. Horio had gotten much taller over the summer and his hair had grown a bit, though he left it as a tattered mess. Maybe it was because Ryoma left, but she saw something in the boy she liked beneath his arrogant grouchy exterior. Soon after school ended, the two of them actually started dating, but two months into the relationship and Horio hadn't even gotten a kiss on the cheek.

Horio had decided to join the two of them to celebrate the end of the summer, so the three of them went to the store to grab supplies. Horio however had picked the short straw it seemed, and had to carry the seven or so bags. For a moment, watching him trip and stumble reminded her of Ryoma for some reason. Perhaps she too had not yet gotten over his departure, though she had at least tried.

"So is that everything we need?"

"If it isn't, I'm not going back. You'll just have to make do with what's here."

"Surly you won't leave two girls alone at night would you?" Tomo replied, her voice dripping with cuteness.

"Maybe if you don't wander off like you usually do, it won't be a problem." Horio knew it was a poor thing to say, but he felt kinda bitter at the moment.

"What that supposed to mean?"

"You know exactly what it means."

The two of them growing were so close to each other they could feel the heat from each other's noses. Sonoko was worried about a fight, but was too nervous to step in between.

But their squabbles ended like a gunshot as the sound rebounded through the streets.

"What happened?"

"I don't know, but I think it came from the tennis courts, let's check it out." Tomo grabbed Sonoko's arm and dragged her along. She had only heard that during the finals for the nationals, could it be Ryoma had come back? Sonoko seemed to have the same thoughts and soon met and even outpaced her.

Horio chased after the two with long strides so the eggs inside the bags wouldn't crack. "Hey wait, don't leave me here. At least help me carry these things!!"

The ball hurdled at break neck speed, slamming and spinning into the corner before sharply changing angles, flying perpendicular to the dividing line. Kat almost seemed to hover above the ground as she positioned herself for the shot. Kat swung the racquet down in a backhand and caught the swift serve, reveling in the rush that coursed through her arm. Fuji was really giving it all he had, she could feel the tremendous spin eroding away the strings on her racquet, the pressure against her wrist that felt more like a bowling ball. She felt so alive in that moment of impact, but Fuji while impressive, was her enemy, and no man could best her.

She countered with a deep lob, forcing Shuusuke back to the baseline. Shuusuke however played his best at the baseline. He hoped to end this match quickly and fired a passing shot deep to the right. The shot was well placed, but he froze when Kat appeared at the net. She simply let the ball bounce off her racquet and off to the side, leaving Fuji stunned at the baseline. How was she able to move so quickly?

"15-love," Kat boasted, showing her toothy grin, "Don't underestimate me Fuji."


End file.
